Siege of Callisto
The Siege of Callisto was an Imperial castigation campaign conducted by the Brazen Lions Space Marine Chapter. They deployed its formidable Chapter fleet towards the stellar wasteland of the Callist Sector, which was sited near the galactic core in the Segmentum Ultima, close to the realspace Warp rift known simply as the Maelstrom. Responding to a distress call, the Brazen Lions come upon the besieged Adeptus Mechanicus station world of Callisto on the edge of the Maelstrom, founded during the Age of Strife and long cut off from aid. Callisto was being besieged by the Dark Eldar who wished to take the Mechanicum's technological secrets for themselves. The Brazen Lions arrived as their saviours, smashing into the heart of the besiegers. Though dramatically outnumbered and outgunned, the Brazen Lions draw into close formation and smash through the enemy armada. Once the enemy line of defence is breached, the Brazen Lions' fleet unleashes swarms of gunships and Drop Pods upon the planet's surface. In the meantime, the Brazen Lions Fleet continue to ravage the enemy armada, plunging in close so that the wildfire of their foes strike their own ships as often as those of the Imperials. Boarding torpedoes and assault rams screamed out from the Brazen Lions' vessels and slammed into the hulls of terror ships and Dark Eldar vessels. On the surface below, the Dark Eldar die by the thousands, unable to coordinate a defence against this unforeseen direction of attack. The battle rages on as the Brazen Lions take horrific casualties but fight on nevertheless. The eventual defeat of the Dark Eldar on the surface of Callisto as well as above the planet breaks the siege of Callisto. History Responding to a distress call, the Brazen Lions fleet headed towards the stellar wasteland of the Callisto Sector. The Callisto Sector had been sited near the galactic core in the Segmentum Ultima close to the realspace Warp rift known simply as the Maelstrom. The Brazen Lions' warships formed a single strike force aimed at the Laterus System. They came upon the besieged Adeptus Mechanicus station world of Callisto on the edge of the Maelstrom, founded during the Age of Strife, and long cut off from aid. Callisto was being besieged by the Drukhari who wished to take the Mechanicus's technological secrets for themselves. The tech-priests of the Mechanicus had endured alone for ages, subjected to the privations of raiders and enemies all around them and always requesting aid that had never yet managed to reach them. The Brazen Lions arrived as their saviours, smashing into the heart of the besiegers. Though dramatically outnumbered and outgunned, the Brazen Lions drew into close formation and smashed through the enemy armada. Once the enemy line of defence was breached, the Brazen Lions' fleet unleashed swarms of gunships and drop pods upon the planet's surface. In the meantime, baying for blood, the Brazen Lions ravaged the enemy armada, plunging in close so that the wildfire of their foes struck their own ships as often as those of the Imperials. Boarding torpedoes and assault rams screamed out from the Brazen Lions' vessels and slammed into the hulls of terror ships of the Drukhari vessels, disgorging the Brazen Lions in their unstoppable rage, turning the enemy ships into charnel houses. Meanwhile, on the surface below, the Drukhari died by the thousands, unable to coordinate a defence against this unforeseen direction of attack. The battle raged on for hours, and the Brazen Lions took horrific casualties but fought on nevertheless. The Kabalite overlords sensed at last that the battle was turning in their favour and called upon reinforcements from across the planetoid's surface to aid them. It was then that a false dawn flared blood-red in the skies above. Seconds later, a cyclonic torpedo barrage smashed into the surface all around the Brazen Lions, who fought on. In their wake came hundreds of gunships and assault rams that represented the Brazen Lions' second wave. These warriors descended upon the Kabal of Drukhari like vengeful gods of wrath. The Siege of Callisto had been broken as the Brazen Lions speared the fleeing enemy with barbed Ursus Claws - massive lances connected to heavy, dense chains - that could pierce the hull of an enemy ship and drug them back to their inevitable doom. When they were within a short distance of the Brazen Lions' ships, their commanders would then disgorged their elite assault formations to cross the short distance between them and board the enemy vessels to slaughter those within, leaving these enemy vessels as bloody abattoirs in their wake. The campaign that was to follow would last six standard years and see no fewer than 28 worlds and outposts ravaged and destroyed by the Brazen Lions, and two separate dangerous xenos species wiped out. The Brazen Lions' fleet cut a swathe of destruction through the wastes of the Callisto Sector, and even ventured into the perilous fringes of the Maelstrom itself. Category:Brazen Lions Category:Campaigns Category:History Category:Imperial Campaigns Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines